Although in modern societies fermented beverages are associated with socializing, celebration, and ritual, in ancient times they were also importa`nt sources of essential nutrients and potable water. In Mesoamerica, pulque, an alcoholic beverage produced from the fermented sap of several species of maguey plants (Agavaceae; Fig. 1) is hypothesized to have been used as a dietary supplement and r...

Reconstructing the history of elite communication in ancient China benefits from additional archaeological evidence. We combine textual analysis with new human stable carbon and nitrogen isotope data two Chu burials Jingzhou area to reveal significant dietary differences among nobles middle Warring States period ( c . 350 BC). This research provides important information on close interaction be...

The archaeological site at Burnum is the subject of scientific research conducted since 2003 in the area of the ancient agglomeration by the members of the Chair of Ancient Archaeology of the Department of Archaeology of the University of Zadar, accompanied by partners--Krka National Park, City Museum of Drnis and Laboratory of Archaeological and Topographic Survey of the Department of Archaeol...

Two issues long debated among Pacific and American prehistorians are (i) whether there was a pre-Columbian introduction of chicken (Gallus gallus) to the Americas and (ii) whether Polynesian contact with South America might be identified archaeologically, through the recovery of remains of unquestionable Polynesian origin. We present a radiocarbon date and an ancient DNA sequence from a single ...

A comparison of ancient DNA (single-nucleotide polymorphisms) and carbon and nitrogen stable isotope evidence suggests that stored cod provisions recovered from the wreck of the Tudor warship Mary Rose, which sank in the Solent, southern England, in 1545, had been caught in northern and transatlantic waters such as the northern North Sea and the fishing grounds of Iceland and Newfoundland. This...

Archaeologists, in most cases, neglect animal bones and teeth, which present common material on archaeological sites. Analysis of archaeozoological material from Vucedol (Baden culture) and prehistoric cave site Vela spila on Korcula, has been applied to stress the importance of that material (especially single animal teeth) in archaeozoological samples. It is obvious that a higher percentage o...

The objective of this experiment was to assess the utility of a commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit for diagnosis of giardiasis in archaeological human remains. The kit, a monoclonal antibody assay, is used to detect the presence of Giardia-specific antigen 65 (GSA65) in human faeces. We utilized the assay in ancient faecal material. The material included desicc...

Visiting a real or virtual museum or an archaeological site can be a hard task, especially in case of large sites provided with many works of art or ancient ruins. For this reason most historical sites provide guided tours, to improve visitors satisfaction and interest. In this work we explore the use of an e-learning environment, called Lecomps5, to provide museums or other cultural sites with...

The increasing attention of archaeological and anthropological research towards palaeopathological studies has allowed to focus the examination of many skeletal samples on this aspect and to evaluate the presence of many diseases afflicting ancient populations. This paper describes the most interesting diseases observed in skeletal samples from five necropolises found in urban and suburban area...